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Elton Britt was a country music singer and songwriter whose recordings included the World War II-era patriotic hit "There's a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere."

Britt, born James Britt Baker in Arkansas, hit it big when Los Angeles-based radio station studio manager Glenn Rice organized a search party of sorts in the Arkansas mountains to find an authentic country musician to join a group called the Beverly Hill Billies.

Britt was 15 when he arrived in L.A. to join the Hill Billies. The Times reported on Aug. 14, 1930: "The boy arrived in overalls and hickory shirt, sans shoes, but wearing a peaked cap. The youth was open-eyed with wonder as the tri-motored plane landed at the airport in the glare of arc lights and the applause of a large audience."

After achieving initial success on the radio with the Hill Billies, Britt moved to New York City. He recorded a number of hits and was known for his yodeling ability and musical similarities to another country star, Jimmie Rodgers.

— Lindsay Barnett for the Los Angeles Times June 21, 2010, with additional reporting from the Los Angeles Times Aug. 14, 1930

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Two thoughts about Elton Britt

“

I seem to remember hearing somewhere along the way that he wrote/sang a song about a disabled man writing to FDR to get a waver to serve in the armed services during WWII. On the other hand it may have been a real life experience.

Your thoughts??

Thanks, Jim

”— Jim Furlong, June 17, 2010 at 1:27 p.m.
“

Elton Britt is at the top of the list among the greatest people I ever met; not just as an entertainer but as a human being. He's buried in my family section at Broad Top City, Huntingdon County, PA.

”— Mike J. Horton, February 18, 2012 at 4:02 p.m.

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